How does living in London really compare to New York for Generation Rent?

New York's bright lights and sparkling sidewalks hold a certain appeal for many Londoners who dream of moving - at least temporarily - to the Big Apple. But how does the reality of sharing a rental property in the younger, taller city-that-never-sleeps match up to the fantasy?

A new report by flatsharing site Spareroom compares how London and New York stack up in terms of affordability and work-life balance...

Flatsharing vs housesharing
New Yorkers are more likely to share an unfurnished two-bedroom flat, but four people living in a furnished house is much more common in London.

This means that while we may feel garden-starved in London, 70 per cent of sharers have access to some form of outdoor space - compared to 31 per cent of those renting in New York.

Rent vs salaries
According to the flatsharing site, New York rents are more than £200 higher than in London, averaging £973 compared to £748 a month.

Bills across the pond tend to be more expensive too, with almost half of New Yorkers spending more than £200 a month on utilities and mobile phone bills, while less than 20 per cent of Londoners face bills that high.

However, flatsharers' salaries seem to be significantly higher in the Big Apple - just over £55,000 compared to just over £35,000 in London - leaving New York renters with more disposable income than Londoners.

Cycling vs hailing a cab
Most Londoners are all too familiar with the long journey to work - nearly two-thirds of Londoners travel for more than half an hour each day, whereas only half of New Yorkers face as long a commute.

Moreover, a quarter of New York's renters can get to work in less than 15 minutes while less than one in 10 Londoners can lay claim to that privilege.

Hailing a cab or driving to work are the modes of transport of choice for a third of New Yorkers with only four per cent of Londoners doing the same.

A Londoner is four times as likely to cycle to work than a New Yorker.

Staying in vs 'going out-out'
A night out in New York will cost you about 15 per cent more than it will in London, ​according to the research.

So it's just as well 35 per cent of New Yorkers described their ideal evening as a a night in front of the TV with a 'take-out'.

However the most popular choice for Londoners was heading to a pub, bar or club.

This along with the new night Tube services means London could soon be claiming the title of the city that never sleeps...